Page 26 of Moonlight Hearts

I went through to the back myself to put my jacket in my locker, but stopped at the kitchen.Kasey was cooking, and his snakes spotted me first.

“Oh, joining us early today, boss?”the gorgon asked, turning to me after flipping a pancake in the air—one of the thick, fluffy ones made the way Dwayne liked them.“That’s rare.”

I shrugged.“Well I…uh.Dwayne asked me to come in early today.”Which was…a white lie.I’d have to tell everyone I wasn’t going to be here every day like normal, but…

Kasey’s snakes tongued the air.“You’re smiling like a kid who had candy for breakfast.Did something good happen?”

“What?Oh.Uh, nothing much.”

Kasey went back to his pancakes.“Fine.Don’t tell me, then.In that case, I don’t have to tell you that Rae has been scheming to get their way with the holiday decorations.White, pink, and baby blue they said.Not that I’d ever repeat such a thing to you.”

I rolled my eyes.“The secret chat again?”

Kasey’s snakes moved in unison, like sea anemones.“What secret chat?I know not what you speak of, boss.”

I sighed.“All right.I’ll take that as a yes.”

Kasey chuckled while plating the cooked pancakes and pouring more batter.“Consider that they handled most of the organizing around the Halloween party.It went off pretty much without a hitch.Has to count for something, right?”

Ant peered through into the kitchen from the passthrough.“It wasepic.I can’t wait for Krampus Night.”He gave me a thumbs-up before his face vanished from view.

“There you have it,” Kasey said.

It was then that I considered that perhaps a co-manager might be helpful.Not that I really had manager qualifications to begin with, I just had seniority.That little voice about how working less meant more time with Soyer, though…oddly, it was getting louder.I was looking forward to meeting the new manager, because meeting them couldn’t possibly hurt.

“You’re all such a mutinous bunch,” I said, though I meant it fondly.

“Aw, not me, boss,” Kasey said, but I was already on my way through to the back.

I dropped off my jacket before knocking on Dwayne’s door.

He was at his desk, focused on his computer screen and typing away.He looked up when he saw me.

“Shit.Five already?”He went for his phone.

“No, I’m early.”

He put his phone back down.“Nearly gave me a heart attack, kid.Didn’t we talk about overtime yesterday?”

“Soyer said you wanted me early?”

Dwayne raised his brows.“He here?”

“Nope.Had something else to do.”

Dwayne grunt-nodded.“The guys have everything handled.And the new guy’s only supposed to be here later.”His face hardened.“You guys didn’t fight, did you?”

“Me and Soyer?”

“Yeah.”

I cocked my head.“I don’t think we’ve ever really fought.So no.I was just…you know.Bored.”

Dwayne snorted.“There are hobbies.Crocheting and such.Knitting.”

My eyebrows flew up.“Dwayne, do you knit?”

I couldn’t remember seeing Dwayne blush in all the time I’d known him, so the sight of it now was confusing.